Alabama whistleblowers are the frontline defense against unfair businesses practices, including violations of workplace safety provisions designed to safeguard employees' welfare on the job.

Why is exposing workplace safety violations important?

Alabama businesses are bound by law to protect their employees from undue risk. This includes, for example, everything from providing sufficient safety equipment to industrial or construction workers to allowing for sufficient breaks to let employees rest, use the bathroom, etc.

What does the Alabama law pertaining to whistleblowing say?

Alabama Code 25-5-11.1 explicitly lays out the laws protecting whistleblowers throughout the state. It says in no uncertain terms that “No employee shall be terminated by an employer… solely because the employee has filed a written notice of violation of a safety rule.”

That means that if a whistleblower exposes a company's wrongdoing – whether in the form of sexual harassment or violating workplace safety rules – and the company takes retaliatory steps to punish the worker, including but not limited to fire that employee, then they are liable for drastic civil penalties.

Employees who have experienced such retaliation are eligible for whistleblower claims which can provide financial compensation for the damages incurred by the wrongful actions of their employer.

Why the law protects whistleblowers

Without constant supervision from government minders, internal whistleblowers become the de facto eyes and ears of the regulatory machine, bringing much-needed attention to employer misconduct and protecting workers from harm.\

Every year, thousands of Alabamans are injured on the job, often resulting from employers' violations of safety precautions. In addition to being bad for business, these violations cause serious human suffering.

Alabama law provides for robust legal protection of workplace safety whistleblowers. Knowing your legal rights empowers you to do the right thing in exposing wrongdoing by employers.